A Lakeville woman who lost control of her car Wednesday afternoon and almost struck two men in a parking lot could be charged with driving under the influence, according to authorities.

Police said Joyce Demoranville, of 1 Freetown St., drove her 2006 Toyota Solara over a curb bordering a back portion of Taunton Trial Court at 40 Broadway. By doing so, she destroyed four aluminum bike racks, several bushes and at least one small tree before coming to rest with three blown tires, police said.

Police said the 68-year-old woman shortly after the crash was “emotional” and incapable of understanding what had happened. They also said they detected a smell of alcohol emanating from the car and that a nip bottle of Jim Beam whiskey with a loose cap was on the passenger-side floor.

Her eyes, police said, were “bloodshot and glassy,” and she seemed unstable when being loaded onto the ambulance dolly. She was then transported to Morton Hospital for observation.

Police said it appears Demoranville turned abruptly onto Pleasant Street from Broadway and then quickly turned left into the shared entrance of the court house and Berube Professional Building at 6 Pleasant St.

As of early Wednesday night, Demoranville had not been cited for a violation.

George Mendonca said he was walking out of Taunton Service Center across the street when he noticed the Solara driving in the middle of Pleasant Street.

“I knew something was wrong,” Mendonca, 57, said.

By the time Demoranville pulled into the small parking lot, “she was flying,” Mendonca said.

“I think she hit the gas instead of the brake,” he said.

Mendonca said he saw the two young men who had been walking with their backs to the car suddenly jump out of the way, with one leaping to the left and the other the right.

“They were shaken up,” he said.

Police reported eyewitness accounts of hearing tires squealing just before the crash.

Ricky Stevens of Taunton said he was on the third floor of the public library, also on Pleasant Street, when he heard a “loud bang.”

Stevens, 22, said he immediately ran outside and saw a couple of people unsuccessfully trying to open the driver’s side door. He said he managed to crack it open and then tried to comfort the driver.

“She still had the car in drive,” Stevens said. “I took the key out of the ignition. She was all shaken up and kept saying ‘Am I alright? Is my car alright?’”

Taunton has had its share of unexplained vehicle crashes involving senior citizens during the past year.

A 66-year-old woman in June jumped the curb in a parking lot and careened into a wall between a Walgreens satellite pharmacy and Laurie’s Country Kitchen.

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In February, a driver smashed through the front of the same Tremont Street eatery causing heavy damage. One month later, another driver lost control and smashed into a chiropractic office in the same strip plaza.

Demoranville was treated and released from Morton Hospital, according to a hospital spokesperson.